Faded Red Clouds
by Lutralutra
Summary: Pein doesn't know why he's stayed with a group as screwy and unstable as Akatsuki for this long, and why he doesn't just let go now that he's wondering.  He only knows that in a weird, dysfunctional way, they're like a family.
1. Chapter 1: He Knows Them

**Faded Red Clouds**

**by LutraShinobi**

Disclaimer: Inventory check time! Story: check. Plot idea: check. Naruto: -blank-

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Chapter 1 - He Knows Them

Pein rolled over on his cot and his forehead slammed into the bedpost with a dull thunk. He let out a groan of pain and irritation and brought his hands up to his face, muffling his voice as he asked the wall, "Why am I here?"

"Because you went to sleep here last night," the wall replied sharply. Only it wasn't the wall, it was the blue-haired female occupying the bed next to his own. Pein sat up and groaned again, more quietly this time. "That's _not _what I meant."

His partner rose as well, asking wearily, "What did you mean then?" She had an idea that she had already guessed, but she knew Pein and therefore knew that he was the kind of person who needed to talk. Being the leader of an organization as high-flying and ambitious as Akatsuki, he often talked, as in making plans and giving orders, but his job, demanding as it was, rarely gave him the opportunity to really _talk. _That's where she came in - she let him talk, let him spew out all of the thoughts that battered his brain until the sides of his head threatened to crack under the onslaught. And for Pein to talk, he had to be asked.

Pein ran his fingers through the spikes that formed his unruly auburn hair and his multicoloured eyes, oddly childlike, found her steady gaze. Although he didn't say a word or smile, even a completely clueless bystander would have been able to tell that he was thanking her for her patience and understanding of him.

He looked her over now as he did every morning, as she sat on the edge of her bed, mattress rumpling under her weight, bare toes scraping the floor. "Blue", they called her. It was not her real name, but it was what she went by. Pein was one of the few she'd trusted with the knowledge of her true name, and by now he might have forgotten it - he wouldn't know, he never tried to remember.

Blue couldn't really be justly described as beautiful, but if anyone had called her anything less, Pein would have felt compelled to argue for some reason. She had short, unevenly cut indigo blue hair (hence the name), decorated with a white flower ornament. The first day he'd seen her, also the day he'd recruited her to Akatsuki, she had been wearing that flower, and she hadn't taken it off since, that he knew of anyway. Her dark eyes were heavy-lidded, but it didn't hamper their piercing gaze. A silver stud jutted out under her lip. She was slim, but too muscular to be called slender. Blue was a true ninja in mind and body, and didn't pretend otherwise.

Pein was often puzzled as to the nature of his relationship with Blue. They were partners, but that was obvious. They weren't _friends_, however - he knew that. Whether they were more or less than friends, he could never be sure of. At moments like these, he was positive they were more, but there were times when he'd say less. Some days he thought they weren't even acquainted.

He suddenly wondered if she thought about him this way too, and as he always did when feeling self-conscious, he lifted his hand to touch the six piercings that lined either side of the bridge of his nose. The black studs didn't really suit the rest of his youthful, handsome face, but they were a part of his identity as Pein, Akatsuki Leader.

"Well?" Blue prompted him. Her patience was fairly plentiful, but it had its limits.

Once again, he said nothing, but his unique eyes apologized to her for the wait. Then he lay back, stretching out his body and resting his head on the pillow. "What I meant is..." he began, hesitating. "Well, why am I _still _here, I guess. Here, as the Leader of Akatsuki."

"Why wouldn't you be here?" Blue asked calmly. She could tell he was in turmoil - he normally had minimal difficulty in clearly communicating his thoughts to others, especially her.

"Well, Akatsuki's been going for a while now, hasn't it?" Pein mused. "But I was young when I started it, and I didn't look ahead into the future. Not far enough, anyway." He stopped again, gaze locked onto the ceiling.

"Get to the point, Pein. Stop trying to take the long way around - it annoys me. Are you trying to break it to me gently or something? Because I'm not that kind of woman." Blue hated it when people played games with her, and it was doubly irritating when Pein did it. He should know by now that she preferred the head-on approach.

"I know. I'm trying to break it to _myself _gently," was Pein's honest confession.

"You act so weak sometimes, Pein," Blue said. It was a simple statement of fact - he did.

"Mm," Pein said noncommittally. He was never offended when Blue insulted him. Coming from her, it was more like constructive criticism. He sighed. "What I'm trying to say is, Akatsuki has had its run, and it was pretty long and pretty good while it lasted. We accomplished a lot of successful missions, we made some important discoveries, we even became famous."

"But now you think we're at the end of our run." Blue's voice had gone robotic, to make sure Pein couldn't sense her feelings. He scowled. Why did she hide them from him when he needed them most?

"Well, yes," he said. "I mean, Sasori was killed by an old granny and an amateur kunoichi, and he was more skilled than Deidara. If that's not losing our touch, then I don't know what is. And Orochimaru ditched us."

"That snake bastard? He's no loss." Blue snorted - she had never liked or trusted Orochimaru; with reason, as it turned out.

"You have a point. But, I don't know, everything just seems to be...fading. In a way, my dreams for Akatsuki have come true. And in a way they haven't, and I know they never will. Nothing lasts forever, and I don't like to drag things out. I don't think we're as great as we once were. As I _thought_ we once were, at any rate. I'm not sure what's diminished so much these past months, but something definitely has, and with it went my passion for this organization."

Blue was silent for a moment. Then she said, "You realize you haven't yet provided me with one solid reason for abandoning Akatsuki, right?"

"I don't have any solid reasons, Blue," Pein said seriously, almost sadly. "But I've always found that it's the shadowy, blurred reasons you have to watch out for the most."

"Well..." Blue teetered. She knew Pein desired her advice, but that didn't change the fact that she didn't really have any to give. "It's your call, Pein."

Pein nodded, slightly disappointed but also slightly higher in morale. He had expected this. Blue rarely gave him advice. Guidance, yes, but not advice. She obstinately refused to make his decisions for him. Her words had, however, assured Pein of one thing - she didn't quite understand him, but she had faith in his judgment. Wherever he went, she would be there. Not following him - she would be there ahead of him, waiting. That was how things stood between Pein and Blue. How things had always stood, but sometimes they both needed the reassurance. They didn't need to hear it - they just had to _feel _it.

"Let's get up, Blue. After all, Tobi will be calling everyone for breakfast right about now." Right on cue, Tobi's good-natured squeal rang shrilly in the halls. "_Break_faaaast!"

Pein smiled briefly at his accurate prediction before ducking out the door to head for the kitchen. Blue watched him go, thinking, _He knows them so well. _

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Somehow I feel like Pein and Blue were really out of character, but that's not really possible since we haven't exactly seen their character, not enough to come to any solid conclusions anyway... For some reason, this fic feels like a oneshot, even though I don't intend it to be one. As usual, I really don't know what I'm trying to achieve in writing this - I don't plan, I just kind of...write. And you know up there in the disclaimer, where I said "Plot idea: check"? Yeah, um, well, if you're asking "what plot?", you're exactly right :P I have some blurred, half-baked ideas floating around, which aren't always that useful (but if you believe Pein, then maybe they're the best kind). Oh well, I'll try. The feedback I get will probably determine whether or not this fic is continued. Anyway, thanks for reading, and pleasepleasepleaseplease review! I'm on my knees here! Thank you :) 


	2. Chapter 2: He Plays With Them

Here's Chapter 2. I don't really have much to say, just...REVIEW!!

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Chapter 2 - He Plays With Them

Before Tobi became a member of Akatsuki, everyone had to take their turn at kitchen duty, which meant that the results were interesting. Definitely interesting, but not always edible. Among the most memorable were Deidara's clay pie and Zetsu's unidentified meat dish (no one would touch this - they were all aware of Zetsu's cannibalistic eating habits, and didn't quite believe him when he told them it was goat.)

All this changed with Tobi's arrival. He excelled in doing all domestic chores, which was probably what prompted Deidara to speculate that he must have been a scullery maid prior to joining up. His very first night with Akatsuki, he zealously "helped" Hidan cook dinner, and everyone agreed that it was the best meal they'd eaten in months. And voila, Tobi became the official cook, a promotion which seemed to delight him.

So Pein was not surprised to find Tobi setting a plate of steaming muffins on the kitchen table while his fellow members dug into heaps of bacon and eggs.

Tobi beamed at him. "Good morning, Leader-sama!" he said cheerfully. "Muffin?" Pein accepted the blueberry muffin Tobi offered him, and nodded to his subordinates.

"Hey, boss," Hidan said through a mouthful of fried egg.

"_Leader-sama," _the black half of Zetsu's face acknowledged in its deep, rumbling bass, and the white half added, "Good day."

The others looked up respectfully from their plates for just a second before continuing their imitation of pigs. Except for Itachi, who was reading the Real Estate section of last week's newspaper. Why? No one asked.

Pein seated himself at the head of the table as he always did and proceeded to eat his breakfast calmly. Blue entered and greeted the others, then did likewise. When they'd all put their forks down, Pein looked around. Kakuzu was insulting Hidan's religion while Hidan swore ferociously and threatened him with eternal condemnation, Kisame was being reassured by an exasperated Deidara (for the fourth time), that there was absolutely _no _seafood in bacon, and Itachi had now flipped to Business.

Pein leaned back in resignation and sighed inwardly. Tobi's inevitable Morning Question Period was scheduled to begin soon. Every morning, when Pein was least in the mood for answering questions, Tobi would suddenly come up with a random inquiry which everyone eventually turned over to the Leader to be answered.

As expected, Tobi's high, boyish voice piped up wonderingly. "Leader-sama, why did you start Akatsuki?"

There was an immediate and abrupt silence. This was by far the most personal question Tobi had ever posed. Usually it was just something like "Why is the sky blue?" But then again, this was much more interesting than some long explanation about light and the atmosphere, and it showed by the way everybody's attention was completely riveted on Pein. He wished it was this way at mission meetings.

He saw the eagerness in their eyes, and suddenly felt a spark of defiance inside him. They wanted to get some fun and information out of him, did they? Well then, he'd get some entertainment out of them too.

"Why don't you ask your comrades, Tobi?" Pein said. Blue saw the challenge in his gaze and voice even if Tobi didn't, and she shifted in her seat. "See what they think." Pein was sure this would be worth his time. His subordinates' guesses were guaranteed to be hilariously off, and by listening to them he would also gain rare insight into what they really thought of their Leader's personality and goals. He folded his hands on the table in front of him and waited with avid, but well-concealed, interest.

"Okay," Tobi agreed brightly. "Blue-san, would you like to guess?"

Blue started. "No, thank you," she said crisply. Pein blew air out through his front teeth, feeling let down. She was denying him a lot of pleasure today.

"Please, Blue-san?" Tobi wheedled. "It'll be fun!"

_Precisely, _Pein thought, fighting the urge to snicker. But Blue was adamant. "I'd rather not."

Refusing to be downcast, Tobi turned to Deidara, who was beside him. Deidara shot a hesitant glance at Pein, as if to ask permission to speak potentially offensive words, then offered, "Um...because Leader-sama's an artist, yeah, and he created Akatsuki as his masterpiece. Like a clay sculpture, you know, only not made of clay and not a sculpture, yeah."

Kisame snorted. "_That _sure made sense."

"Yeah, well, let's see you come up with something better, shark boy, yeah!" Deidara retorted, stung.

Kisame accepted the challenge with confidence, and guessed, "I think it's because Leader-sama wanted to become famous and conquer the world!"

"Any idiot could have given a suggestion as generic as that, yeah!" Deidara accused derisively. "Everyone knows that _everyone _wants to become famous and conquer the world, yeah!"

"Well, duh, but Leader-sama was the only one to actually think of a good way to achieve it!" Kisame protested.

Pein listened to their argument, amused, but also thoughtful. World domination _was _what Akatsuki worked towards, wasn't it? But lately, Pein somehow didn't feel in the mood to rule the Earth, if you could put it that way. He was searching for something more. But that was preposterous; what more could there be than conquering the world? _Maybe that's what I'm looking for, _Pein realized with surprise. _Maybe I'm searching for the answer to that question._

He returned to the scene in front of him when he saw that it was now Kakuzu's guess. "I think Leader-sama just wanted to get rich," Kakuzu said. "I mean, with a bunch of skilled criminals as agents, stealing and plundering at your whim, you reel in lots of money."

"If we reel in so much money, how come you're always obsessing over Akatsuki's finances?" Kisame asked snidely.

"Because he's a freaking Scrooge, man!" Hidan interjected. Kakuzu kicked him in the shin underneath the table and growled, "It's your turn, moron."

"Whatever, man," Hidan muttered, rubbing his shin crossly. "How the hell am I supposed to know our boss's reasons for _anything_?" Fiddling with his rosary, he thought for a moment. "Maybe...maybe his God told him to create Akatsuki."

Pein was quite intrigued. It was fascinating the way all of his men put a little (or a lot) of their own character into their guesses. Deidara was an artist, and therefore he had called Akatsuki the Leader's masterpiece. Kakuzu, a born penny pincher, associated the organization's origin with monetary issues. Hidan put a religious spin on things, just like he did with everything else in his life. But now Pein opened his ears again - Zetsu and Itachi were next.

"_Maybe there is more than one side to Leader-sama," _Zetsu's black half said darkly. His white half elaborated. "Perhaps Akatsuki was his way of expressing one of those sides."

"That's so _deep, _Zetsu-san!" Tobi cried, exhilarated.

"Speaking from experience, yeah?" Deidara mused quietly, eyeing Zetsu's visibly split personality, but he was quickly subdued when the Venus flytrap encasing Zetsu's head swung in his direction.

Everyone looked to Itachi now. The silent Sharingan user was still leafing through the newspaper, and Kisame had to tap him on the shoulder and whisper, "Yo, Itachi, we're waiting..."

Itachi looked up, dark eyes void, and spoke emotionlessly. "Perhaps Leader-sama was simply bored."

"He was bored," Hidan repeated. Itachi ignored him and returned to his reading (he had now reached the Arts & Entertainment section). Hidan sniggered. The others just shrugged and moved on to the last person.

"Tobi, you haven't told us your opinion yet, yeah!" Deidara said.

'Well, since Deidara-sempai asks, I will do my best," Tobi said seriously. At least five minutes passed during which Tobi fidgeted and considered all possible theories. Finally...

"I think - I think Leader-sama was lonely," Tobi affirmed, perfectly in earnest. "He made Akatsuki so he could have friends like us!"

Kisame lost it. He fell out of his chair, shrieking with hysterical laughter. Deidara looked as if he wanted to slap Tobi _very _hard, Hidan muttered in digust, "I'm wasting prayer time for _this_?" and Kakuzu, Zetsu and Itachi just stared.

"I was lonely," Pein reiterated, in a slow tone that implied that he thought Tobi might not understand if he spoke any faster. Tobi nodded fervently, seemingly oblivious to the reactions of his associates. "That's what I think, Leader-sama." Pein turned his head deliberately to exchange a blank look with Blue.

Kisame, having slightly recovered from his fit of hysteria, choked out, "Will you tell us who was right, Leader-sama?"

Pein nodded. "Very well. Deidara, your theory is creative, but incorrect. I would not presume to call myself an artist, nor is Akatsuki any particular masterpiece of mine. As for your guess, Kisame, I do not need a group of followers to take over the world. Kakuzu, I respect the importance of money, but I would not put out that much effort simply for gold. Hidan, no God has ever told me anything, which is why I am a self-proclaimed atheist. Zetsu, you made an interesting observation, but it was somewhat inaccurate. Whether there is more than one side to me, well, the eight of you would be best suited to judge that for yourselves. Itachi, there may actually be something, a very small something, in what you say. Tobi...I think no words could do justice to my reply for your guess."

Everyone was staring at Pein, their brains registering what he had just rattled off. For once, Tobi was not the only one who looked confused. Pein pushed his chair back from the table and stood up. "The day has officially begun," he announced briskly. "Clean up and get to work." With that he exited the kitchen, and was gone in the blink of an eye.

There was an awed silence as all the Akatsuki members, save for the principle one, of course, mulled over the conversation they'd just had. Then Tobi broke the stillness in a small, deferential voice.

"Leader-sama never answered my question..."

Blue shook her head. _Pein..._she thought, amused in spite of herself. _You really enjoy playing with them, don't you? _

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I hope you liked it. It seemed to come out really..._weird. _But whether you thought it was weird, wonderful or just terrible, please, please review - I really, really want to know what people think of this story before I update any more!! Please and thank you:) 


	3. Chapter 3: He Teaches Them

I think this chapter went down in quality since the first two, but you guys will have to decide that. Also, does this really seem like a connected story? To me, it feels like a connection of oneshots. But again, that's up to you :) Please read and review to tell me what you think!

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Chapter 3 - He Teaches Them

Blue returned to the room she shared with Pein to find him seated at his desk, cloak draped over the back of his chair, bent over a book. He raised his head as she came in and said, "Blue."

"Yes, Pein?" Blue said, raising one eyebrow.

"A statistic from _The Shinobi Encyclopaedia _reveals that 76 percent of ninja, even Jounin level or higher, lack common sense. It also says that, if these ninja had that common sense, their success rate in battle would rise by an estimated 23 percent," Pein informed his partner.

"And this is relevant how?" Blue asked.

A weird ecstasy filled Pein's eyes. "Think of what a shinobi could do with an extra 23 percent, Blue. Think of what _Akatsuki _could do!"

Blue stared. "But, Pein," she reasoned, "Akatsuki already has a success rate of what, 95 percent?"

"That means we have five percent to go. Less than one-fourth of 23 percent," Pein pointed out. "And besides, can you look me in the eye and honestly say that none of my Akatsuki members are deficient in common sense?"

Blue hesitated, but an image of Tobi swam across her vision, and she was reluctantly forced to concede. "No..."

"Exactly," Pein confirmed, slamming _The Shinobi Encyclopaedia _shut with a snap. "Which is why I'm going to hold a special session to show my subordinates what a brain is really for. Gather everyone in the common room, Blue - I'll be there in a minute."

Blue sincerely felt that this was not one of Pein's most brilliant ideas, but an order was an order when it came from the Leader, and she obeyed without complaint. _Oh well, _she thought. _We all learn something new at Pein's educational sessions, even if it's usually not what he intended to teach us. _It wasn't that Pein wasn't a competent instructor - it was more that not all of his underlings were competent students.

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A short time later, all nine shinobi who formed the infamous Akatsuki organization were settled comfortably in their common room, curiously awaiting the lesson that was to come. The Leader began with what seemed like a simple enough question. "Who can tell me what common sense is?"

Tobi raised his hand and waved it enthusiastically in the air. Pein looked around, hoping to see another volunteer, but there were none. "Yes, Tobi?" he sighed.

"Common sense is 'sound practical judgment derived from experience rather than study'," Tobi said proudly, as if he had invented the phrase. "Like knowing to look both ways before crossing the street."

Everyone gawked at Tobi in amazement. "Was that..._right_?" Kisame asked in a hushed voice.

"No way, yeah - Tobi always gives a stupid answer that makes no sense!" Deidara said, equally incredulous.

Tobi had the grace to blush slightly, and admitted sheepishly, "My mommy used to make me copy that definition from the Encarta Dictionary whenever I-"

"...needed the reminder," Pein finished dryly, recovering quickly. "Very good, Tobi. Now that we know the definition of common sense, we are going to try to employ it ourselves. I will give you some scenarios, and you will tell me how you would act if they were really happening." He thought for a moment, then began.

"Let's say that you hear a knock at the door of our headquarters. What do you do?"

"You open the door and invite the knocker in!" Tobi said happily. "I love company!"

"Deidara," Pein said slowly and deliberately, his gaze boring into Tobi's head as if he wanted to drill a hole in it and check if there was anything inside, "Never, _ever _let Tobi out of your sight. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly, yeah," Deidara replied, alarmed. He would have complained, but after hearing Tobi's misguided remark, he saw the sense in Pein's command.

"Any other guesses?" Pein inquired.

"You open the door really fast and shove an exploding tag in their face?" Kisame suggested.

"Idiot, what if it was a fellow member? Or someone we could hold for ransom or extract important information from?" Hidan said, rolling his eyes.

"You inform Leader-sama immediately," the white side of Zetsu's face said pleasantly. "_Or, if Leader-sama is not present, you call for back-up, leave headquarters by a different exit, sneak up on the knocker, and if need be, incapacitate them,_" his black side suggested, less pleasantly.

"Fair enough," Pein approved. "All right, next scenario: you're on a stealth mission and you've accidentally revealed yourself to your target, whom you are supposed to be spying on. What do you do?"

"Kill them, yeah! Don't want them to blab about your identity!" Deidara said immediately.

"If you're spying on them, you're obviously trying to gain information, which you won't get if you kill the target," Kakuzu put in.

"If possible, you cover up your mistake by pretending to be a simple bystander or something similar, or if not possible, you threaten the target and force them to reveal the information you're looking for any way they can," Itachi spoke up in his usual monotone. "If neither of these is an option, you abandon the mission, which has been effectively bungled."

"Excellent, Itachi," Pein praised. _Well, some of them seem fine, _he thought. _But the others definitely fall into that 76 percent. _He looked to Blue for help. She returned the look in silence.

Blue had to admit, Pein had a point when he spoke of Akatsuki's being deprived of common sense. Tobi was practically a public safety hazard with his foolish innocence. She wondered, not for the first time, how he had ever managed to pass the initiation tests which were a requirement for every member. Or rather, why Pein had _let _him pass. No one got into Akatsuki if Pein didn't want them to. Well, he must have his reasons - ones that she could trust were backed by common sense.

_Pein is a good teacher, _she thought. _But his keen powers of observation have made a fairly large oversight in not realizing that these farcical sessions are only minimally effective. It isn't what Pein says in these hypothetical scenarios that has an impact on them - it's what he does in real situations. That's how he makes his mark. That's how he teaches them. _

By now Pein was beginning to think that he was fighting for a hopeless cause. Tobi's answers were becoming more and more wacky, and half of the others weren't even listening. Hidan, for example, had been trying to surreptitiously perform one of his religious rituals for the past ten minutes. The blood that was dripping from his cloak gave him away, however. The Leader, with a lightning-fast yet still casual movement, whipped a kunai at him. It skimmed right over Hidan's head and shaved a clean bald line down the centre of his scalp, without leaving so much as a blemish on the skin. He jumped up with a yelp and a curse, then tried to assume an expression of apology. It was so obviously fake that Pein almost threw another kunai, just to wipe it off.

"Hidan," Pein said. "Go take a shower. And then come back and wipe up that puddle of blood that Kakuzu is sitting in."

Kakuzu made a disgusted sound and moved his backside, growling, "I thought I told you to keep all of your polluted bodily fluids off of my person and belongings!"

"Or what? You'll kill me?" Hidan smirked. "Trust me, I'd _love _you if you did."

"The door is ready to be opened and exited by at your convenience, Hidan," Pein informed him. Hidan took care to flick a couple of specks of blood at Kakuzu before leaving. Pein waited until he heard the water running in the bathroom before resuming his tutorial.

"One last test," he told his group. "And if this one is as dismal as its predecessors, I may just have to crack your heads open and check if you were bestowed with anything remotely resembling intelligence." Everyone immediately paid attention. Pein always spoke threats with a flawless poker face that made you waver between believing him and calling his bluff, no matter how absurd a threat it was.

"But Leader-sama, you'll put our heads back together afterwards again, won't you?" Tobi pleaded. Pein's hands twitched. Tobi's constant idiocy was grating on his nerves. Finally he couldn't resist.

He stepped out of his seat and smacked Tobi in the face, knocking him flat on the floor. Then, noticing that everyone had witnessed his loss of control, he quickly covered his tracks. "This is the scenario," he said. "I'm an enemy, and I attacked Tobi. What do you do?"

"Um...congratulate you?" Kisame said, laughing. "That was _great!"_

"Can you do that again, yeah?" Deidara asked eagerly. "Seeing Tobi get whacked like that is so satisfying, yeah! Or better yet, can _I _do it this time?"

"It _was _somewhat gratifying, I must admit," Zetsu's white side said. The half of Zetsu's mouth that was controlled by white turned upwards into a slight smile. A moment later, the other half completed the grin as his black side corrected, "_Somewhat? I think 'extremely' is more accurate."_

Blue watched Pein apprehensively. Holding in anger and irritation was a skill he'd developed and perfected early on in life, but it looked to her as if his impassive mask was slipping. She couldn't really blame him - sometimes the criminals of Akatsuki displayed maturity levels worthy of toddlers. But still, when Pein let his resentment loose, it usually wasn't the only thing that came out. And with a shinobi as powerful as Pein, that was a problem.

However, he secured his mask back into place with an effort and said blandly, "Well, I think we all know what the focus of next lesson will be."

He seemed to have thought wrong, however, as they all gave him blank looks. Pein ground his heels into the carpet - were they really _that _stupid? - and stated what he considered the obvious.

"Teamwork."

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I had a feeling that this chapter sucked while I was writing, and now that I've read it over, I've come to a conclusion: it _does _suck. Sorry about this - I'll try to make the future chapters better, or at least more like the first two. Does anyone think I should make one of the genres for this story "humor"? The first chapter was drama, but the second two seem more like comedy (attempted comedy, anyway.) Please, please review - your feedback encourages my heart, which in turn encourages my hand to scribble across the page faster :P Thanks! 


	4. Chapter 4: He Defends Them

Reviews just poured in for all of my stories these past few days, and as a result I was put into a good writing mood, and I think it shows in this chapter ( a lot more than in the last one, anyway.) Thank you so, so much to everyone who reviewed - I got, like, 10 reviews in one day:) :) Please accept my heartfelt thanks and enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter 4 - He Defends Them

Pein's surprisingly accurate inner alarm clock told him that it was somewhere around 2:30 AM when he disentangled himself from his blankets and assumed a standing position by his bed. He was not particularly disconcerted to find that Blue had done the exact same thing at the exact same time. This happened quite often, as if the two partners were connected by some telepathic bond. Pein, although not entirely averse to the supernatural (he had seen enough of the world to decide that not _everything _could have a scientific explanation), thought that they were merely exceptionally in tune with each others' characters.

"What is it, Pein?" Blue whispered. She was a professional, and he didn't notice that she'd drawn a kunai until its polished metal surface glinted briefly in the darkness, but he didn't need to see it to know she was ready to fight. It was just a natural thing for a shinobi to prepare for. Pein himself held no weapon - he had a kunai holster, of course, but his style of fighting was somewhat...unique, and normally required only his body and Chakra. And his quick, strategizing brain, of course.

A chill seeped into Pein, travelling from his bare feet, which touched the icy floor, up to his head, but he allowed it to run through his body and tolerated it as his mind and senses combined their efforts.

"Someone is in the hall, injured. Deidara, I believe," Pein concluded. "Two others have joined him and are tending to him - Tobi and Zetsu. Let's go hear the explanation." Blue followed him out. She no longer marvelled at Pein's ability to gain such comprehensive information through hearing and Chakra-sensing. She had long ago come to terms with the fact that Pein _was _a marvel.

Sure enough, Deidara stood in the hallway, shoulders sagging. He was panting heavily, and blood gushed from a stab wound that had deeply torn both his cloak and the flesh underneath. Tobi fussed over him with a cloth and some bandages, while Zetsu was attempting to interrogate him.

Tobi and Deidara had been on a mission together, and Tobi had returned without his sempai a few hours ago, saying that Deidara was leading a ninja squad on a detour to prevent them from following him back to Akatsuki headquarters. Apparently, he had finally returned.

Pein stopped in front of the threesome and demanded, "What is going on?"

"Leader-sama!" Tobi-sama exclaimed joyously, his face lighting up like a beacon. "Everything will be all right now, Deidara-sempai - Leader-sama is here!" He suddenly paused and examined Pein critically before smiling slowly and commenting admiringly, "Leader-sama, you have a very fine-toned chest!"

In spite of himself, Pein looked down at his chest. He was wearing a snug black tank top which shouted MUSCLE as if it were printed in capital letters on the front. It revealed the shapely sinew of his upper body. He was also wearing white boxers with rainbow swirls on them, attire that looked rather out of place on a man of his personality, but it was (thankfully, in Pein's view) pretty much bypassed by Tobi's scarlet jumpsuit, which was decorated with an exotic Hawaiian fruit pattern.

For a moment an intense frown flickered across Blue's face as she watched Tobi, then she glanced at Pein with an oddly possessive look in her heavy-lidded eyes. She obviously thought Tobi had crossed the line.

Deidara seemed to agree. "Unnecessary comment, Tobi, yeah!" he hissed through his pain. Tobi immediately looked abashed. "I'm sorry, Deidara-sempai!" he wailed contritely. "I apologize, Leader-sama."

"It's fine, Tobi." Pein brushed the matter aside, wavering between amusement and impatience. Impatience won out as he pressed, "Please tell us your story, Deidara."

Zetsu fetched a chair and Deidara, now patched up with Tobi's handiwork, sat down and told all. "Well, yeah," he rasped, "I led those ninja Tobi _better _have told you about" - here he shot Tobi a venomous glare- "on a nice chase for a while, but they were better trackers than I gave them credit for, and I couldn't shake them, yeah. So I hid and hoped they'd just pass by me and get lost, but they were too skilled, yeah. Two of them suddenly leaped out from the trees and teamed up on me, and there was a bit of a struggle, yeah. That's how I got this injury. I escaped, but I was bleeding like crazy and I made it back here on the double to be treated. But they must have kept up with me somehow, yeah, because they caught up with me just as I arrived here and almost took my head off with a kunai while I was going in through our secret entrance, yeah."

"You shouldn't have done that," Zetsu's white half rebuked him tonelessly. "_You led them right to our hideout, fool!" _his black side growled. _"We can't have them discover us!"_

"Well, what was I supposed to do, yeah?" Deidara snapped defensively. "Run around aimlessly until I fainted from blood loss? Then they'd have captured me and tortured me into giving away all our secrets anyway, yeah!"

"Don't worry, Zetsu," Pein said. He kept his voice carefully even, without emotion, but Blue noticed that his eyes seemed to have become narrower and the skin was drawn more tightly over his face. She saw his gaze flicker to the gash in Deidara's side and guessed why. _He can be really overprotective of them sometimes, _she thought. _The sight of their blood spilled by someone else makes him angry. And that 'someone else' usually doesn't end up all that lucky. _

"The ninja who followed you are probably ANBU, judging from what you say of their abilities," Pein observed. "In that case, I will take them."

"But there are at least eight, yeah!" Deidara objected. "Eight ANBU? Isn't that a bit much? And besides, what if they see your face, yeah? I know you try to keep your identity a secret, yeah. Meaning no disrespect, Leader-sama."

"Rest assured," Pein said, and his voice certainly sounded assuring, menacingly so, "they will see my face for approximately two seconds before their existence is wiped out."

"If you say so, yeah, Leader-sama," Deidara said nervously. Highly concentrated killer intent radiated from Pein, and Zetsu, Tobi, Deidara and even Blue felt perspiration break out under its redoubtable influence.

Pein inclined his head in Blue's direction before vanishing. The four he'd left behind stared at the empty space he'd been occupying a moment ago, straining their ears to hear any sounds of battle. But only silence weighed on their eardrums.

"Hey, Blue...san," Deidara said, quailing under the look she gave him and adding the respectful suffix, "Can Leader-sama actually beat eight ANBU shinobi, yeah?"

"I have never known Pein to be overconfident," was all the Leader's indigo-haired partner would say. But the way she squeezed her lips together and squared her shoulders suggested that she didn't know the true answer to Deidara's question, and this obviously worried her.

"Leader-sama can do it!" Tobi said assertively. He raised his voice to a deafening volume and yelled, "LEADER-SAMA, I BELIEVE IN YOOOOOU!"

"Shut _up, _Tobi!" Deidara said disgustedly. He wondered why Tobi's noisiness hadn't brought any other Akatsuki members running. Blue didn't. She guessed (rightly) that most of the others weren't stupid enough to get themselves into anything that involved Tobi in pyjamas yelling at the top of his lungs.

A moment later, Blue felt a few strands of her hair lift lightly as a cool wisp of air caressed her skin. She spun around, just a little late - Pein was already in front of her. His abrupt appearance stole the voices of his four onlookers for a moment, and when they had retrieved the ability to speak, they could only stare at their Leader.

It wasn't that he looked particularly different from prior to his battle. In fact, he didn't seem to have changed at all, and that was what was so shocking. There wasn't so much as a smudge on Pein's clothing, or a scratch on his face, arms or legs. His breathing was perfectly steady as well. All in all, he looked like he'd just woken from a refreshing night's sleep, not like he'd been out fighting a team of experienced ninja. Pein appeared calm, collected and...invigorated?

"The bodies are all yours, Zetsu," Pein said. "Although I strongly advise you to wait until breakfast."

"And brush your teeth afterwards, yeah!" Deidara added, looking revolted. Zetsu's cannibalistic diet had never quite agreed with him. Then the force of what Pein's words implied hit him, and he reacted as if someone had just kicked the back of his chair, jerking forward and nearly falling off. "What...what...you beat eight ANBU in, like, three minutes??!!"

"There were nine, actually," Pein said in a deadpan voice. Blue almost rolled her eyes. Almost, but she was too relieved.

"Are you all right, Deidara?" Pein asked. Deidara started, and seeming embarrassed by his leader's concern, muttered, "Unh, yeah."

"Good," Pein said, in a brisk tone. "Tobi, help Deidara to bed. Zetsu, you are dismissed as well. Everyone get some sleep." Pein turned and walked back into his room, holding the door open long enough for Blue to slip inside and then shutting it on Deidara's muffled complaints ("No, Tobi, I don't want any of your so-called help! Just let go of - OW, watch where you're dragging me!").

Pein rolled himself fluidly back into bed with a brief "Goodnight, Blue." Blue traced patterns on her covers with one hand, lost in thought. _Sometimes,_ she thought, _it's like Akatsuki are helpless children and he's their keeper. A self-appointed position. Still, taking on nine ANBU..._Blue was impressed. Even for a high-class, above-Jounin level shinobi like Pein, nine Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai members were a feat. _Why does he tax himself, though? He defends them so conscientiously, it's like he has some ulterior motive. Maybe he enjoys the challenge. Maybe he considers any insult to one of his subordinates an insult to him. Or maybe, he's like the rest of us, and he just likes to know for sure that everything is going to be okay._

Blue let her body relax and sink into the mattress. "Goodnight, Pein."

* * *

I'm reasonably happy with the way this chapter turned out - it stuck pretty close to what I meant it to be. I hope you agree :) if yes or if no, leave a review and make my day, please!! I would like to apologize for the shortness of the chapters, though. Long chapters have never been my specialty. Also, I hope you noticed the subtle (or not?) hinting of PeinBlue after Tobi's "fine-toned" comment, Moonmagicks, because it's for you! 

Once again, thank you, and please continue to leave those amazing reviews that sate my writer's appetite! 


	5. Chapter 5: He Helps Them

This chapter is dedicated to **ritachi,** who has written me a couple of very long, very complete reviews, and who is devoted to everyone's favourite anime criminal, Uchiha Itachi. Thanks so much, and enjoy Chapter 5! That goes for everyone else who read this story up to here too!

* * *

Chapter 5 - He Helps Them

It was one of those rare moments when Pein found himself outside of Blue's presence. And as usual, his mind seemed to be stuck in sleep mode in her absence. He was beginning to think it a bit pathetic, the way he depended on her. She was like a drug - the only drug that could stimulate him. Without her, he was listless, lacking inspiration, his genius having deserted him. He was hopelessly addicted.

Or maybe, he was just using Blue as an excuse for what he was doing now - namely, lying on his bed, randomly changing the temperature of his room with a jutsu he'd invented. It was a ridiculously stupid jutsu - completely pointless. A mindless waste of Chakra. And therefore, very much unlike Pein. Yet here he was, crossing his fingers into the same simple handseal over and over. -12 degrees Celsius..._brrr, bad idea_...10 degrees...15 degrees...35 degrees...

Then he noticed the Chakra. All of the Akatsuki members had a very different style of Chakra, and Pein, with his exceptional sensual abilities, could easily identify his subordinates just by their "feel". _Blue! _he thought, his heart leaping. But it wasn't Blue - this was a strong, animalistic Chakra, with an oddly..._fishy_...tinge to it. Now that made it obvious.

He sat up quickly. "Come in, Kisame," he called. No response, but the Chakra was still there. Pein frowned. Kisame wouldn't come to his door unless he wanted to say something - but he was being very hesitant. Wait, had he just used the word "hesitant"? Was this _Kisame_?

"Kisame." He repeated the name. Still nothing. _Fine then, _Pein thought crossly. _If he wants to lurk in the corridor, I might as well leave him to it. _Then he checked himself. Blue wouldn't condone that kind of behaviour. I_ don't condone that kind of behaviour, _he corrected. Sometimes it was shamefully necessary to assert who was really Leader. _He _was. And as Leader, he had to make himself approachable.

"Kisame, are you there only to pretend that you aren't there?" Pein asked. Finally, an apologetic Kisame stuck his sharklike face through the doorway.

"Sorry, Leader-sama," he said sheepishly. "I just..." he stopped, brought his entire body into the room, put a hand to his forehead and said quizzically, "Hey, it's hot in here..."

_Oops, _thought Pein, surreptitiously performing a quick handseal and adjusting the temperature to a more comfortable 20 degrees. "I think it's fine," he said expressionlessly.

"It is _now,_" Kisame agreed, his face wrinkling in perplexity. Pein laughed inwardly. This jutsu had potential as a prank... but back to matters of business and responsibility.

"Is there something you wished to discuss, Kisame?" Pein asked mildly.

"Yeah." Again, incredibly, Kisame seemed to hesitate. Then he withdrew a paper rectangle from his cloak and handed it to Pein. "Do you know who this is?"

Pein looked down at the object he held. It was a photograph depicting a young boy with a familiar, yet unfamiliar face - a pale-skinned face with handsome features and small, dark eyes, framed by a mane of spiky black hair. Pein's eyebrows rose slightly and he nodded.

"Uchiha Sasuke," he said dully, as if reciting from a boring textbook. "Former shinobi of Konohagakure, now missing-nin and protégé of Legendary Sannin member Orochimaru. Lone survivor of the Uchiha massacre."

"And...?" Kisame prompted meaningfully.

Pein knew what he was aiming for, and gave it to him. "Younger brother of Uchiha Itachi."

Kisame looked extremely uncomfortable. His blade Samehada slid a little to the right from its position across his back, as if reacting to his anxiety. "I saw something sticking out from under Itachi-san's bed this morning, and I discovered this. I wasn't sure...but...well, I brought it to you."

Pein knew what kind of a situation the lesser shinobi was in. Kisame greatly respected Itachi, and as a result he didn't like the idea of handing over something obviously private of his to the Leader. But he felt that he had to, because the fact that Itachi had an object like this in his possession meant that he probably hadn't severed all ties with his former life, and might be having second thoughts about joining Akatsuki. Dangerous thoughts to have.

Pein felt somewhat gratified by the loyalty Kisame displayed towards his partner, and decided to take the matter off his follower's shoulders. "Thank you, Kisame," he said. "You have exercised sound judgment. I will deal with this now."

Kisame looked relieved, but also apprehensive. "Leader-sama, what -" he began, but Pein cut him off, guessing his concerns.

"Don't worry. I will talk to Itachi." Peint put a slight emphasis on the word "talk"; Kisame was probably worried that he would torture or kill Itachi.

"Thank you, Leader-sama." Kisame bowed hurriedly before ducking out the door.

Once the shark nin was gone, Pein put the photograph on his desk and thought hard. What was he supposed to say to Itachi about the picture? "Um, do you mind if I burn this? It's for your own good, you know." Obviously not! Besides, not only was that tactless and tasteless, it didn't even seem to be the right course of action. Burn it? What good would that do, when it was most likely burned into Itachi's mind already - permanently?

_Where's Blue when I need her advice? _Pein wondered. But he couldn't think that way - now was his chance to defy his withdrawal symptoms, his opportunity to do something without Blue at his elbow, and not bungle it.

His eyes flickered downward, and he froze when he saw that his fingers were arranged in a handseal that had become very recognizable only recently. Fortunately, the room didn't seem to have become any hotter or colder - yet.

Pein sat on his hands, hard, and started to push his mind's wheels out of the ditch they'd swerved into.

* * *

Black apostrophe-shaped marks spun faster and faster inside red circles, ensnaring anything that dared meet their gaze in a deadly psychological trap. Well, anything excluding the auburn-haired cloaked figure that watched them with interest.

Itachi, although he'd developed his bloodline limit, Sharingan, further than any previous Uchiha, worked on it continually. Its effects had to be more potent, had to last longer, had to take over more rapidly. Better than anyone else was not good enough for Itachi. He had to be better than anyone could ever be.

Pein always enjoyed observing his organization train. It was fun to see how far they'd progressed. Not to mention the fact that it was always wise to be up to date on his members' skills, to be able to effectively plan missions, and in case of a revolt.

The Akatsuki Leader was possibly the only person in the world who did not fear the Mangekyou Sharingan, or any other branch of the fearsome, if dwindling, genetic ability. His odd eyes, irises consisting of several rings, each a different greyish shade, were very powerful in their own right and offered some natural resistance to the Sharingan to begin with. He had sharpened this resistance a great deal, until he could stare right into those scarlet eyes and smile blandly. It had been necessary, with an Uchiha joining his group. Necessary, and undeniably useful.

So Pein stood by a tree just outside of the clearing Itachi trained in, watching the black apostrophes morph into lines and then into various other shapes. He almost wished he wasn't protected from the eyes, just so he could see what this new pattern could do. But he couldn't, so he had to admit to himself that he was just stalling. _"You act so weak sometimes, Pein,"_, Blue had said. Pein knew that. But she hadn't said "You _are _so weak,", he noted, preferring "You _act _so weak." Did she think it was just a charade? Was it? If so, it was a charade underneath a charade. Such a good act that Pein himself believed it. He snorted quietly, alerting Itachi to his presence.

Itachi turned calmly, not surprised to find Pein there. Well, actually he was surprised, but he was not surprised to be surprised. You only sensed Leader-sama when he wanted you to. Itachi respected and acknowledged Pein's superior ninja aptitude, having assessed its true formidability more precisely than most of his comrades. He treaded carefully around his Leader, and Pein did the same with him. They both knew that the other knew more about them than they could have wished.

"Leader-sama," Itachi acknowledged, with his usual detached courtesy.

"Itachi," Pein replied.

Pein had settled down and thought about how to run this conversation for forty-five minutes. The conclusion he'd come to? That sometimes you just had to trust your improvisational faculties.

Without further ado, Pein handed Itachi the fateful photograph, with one simple word: "Explain." His tone was brisk and commanding, but the underlying curiosity was not missed by Itachi's perceptiveness.

Itachi took the picture. His expression didn't alter one bit. No guilt, no surprise, no fear. He must have been expecting to be discovered at some point. And he knew exactly what kind of questions Pein wanted answered.

"I took this," Itachi began emotionlessly, "from the mantelpiece as I left my house after the clan's murder. It was an impulse, a spur-of-the-moment decision."

_Not the kind of decision a person like Itachi usually makes, _Pein observed.

"I have kept it among my other belongings ever since. I rarely look at it."

_No, because you have every tiny detail of it memorized._

"It would have been safer to dispose of it," Pein said, matching Itachi's aloof manner perfectly.

"I know," Itachi answered.

Pein reached for the photograph, and saw it - a flash of red in the black tunnels that were Itachi's eyes. The Sharingan, awakened instantaneously, briefly, to protect what it held close to heart. Pein pulled his arm back slowly. Itachi shifted his weight, aware that he just committed a serious faux pas.

Pein wished he had more than two eyes, so that he could watch every single part of Itachi's body for any other betraying movements. "May I have it, just for an hour?" he asked politely. This was a precarious situation, as the wills of two talented criminals pitted themselves against each other. But the battle never really took off, because both of them were wondering if they didn't want the same thing in the end.

Itachi passed the photograph to Pein warily, and the latter accepted it cordially. Then the Leader walked out of the clearing. He was sure that Itachi was staring into his back, trying to read his mind through his spine, and most likely the stare was red.

It was only once Pein was far out of Itachi's range that he realized how high the tension had actually been back there. It was like finally letting the air out after holding your breath for hours. He leaned against a tree trunk to do more internal wrestling. A part of him definitely wanted to tear the photo to shreds and watch Itachi's reaction. But perhaps, the reaction would be more interesting if he did something else...

Itachi's behaviour in the clearing had kindled other sentiments in Pein too. He had felt a strange sense of triumph upon seeing that menacing flicker of red. It meant that even _the _Uchiha Itachi was still human. Somewhere, buried under a mountain of dark intents and ice, were the feelings that set people apart from machines. And there was no question as to what had triggered the emerging of those emotions. Any way he looked at it, it would be a sin to destroy an object with such power. And a sin, and stupid move, not to.

He found himself sympathetic to Itachi's plight. He knew how hard it was sometimes to hold on to that human part of him, and some days he longed to be a machine, so that he would no longer be in pain or indecision. But he had always believed that the fight to feel, to care, was worth it, and so he never gave up the battle.

A lot of the things he did could only be classified as evil, and he realized that. Many people would probably doubt his humanity if they heard about his deeds (and many already did), and he couldn't justly disagree with them. But this was his way of life - he'd chosen it. Obviously, there had been other factors involved, but it was in essential who he was. He was Pein, leader. He was Pein, criminal. He was Pein, murderer. He was Pein, all-around bad guy. But underneath that, he _was _a guy. As was Itachi.

Pein sprang lightly off in the direction of town, clutching the photo. He had an hour, after all; might as well do something with it. No, not just "something" - the _right_ thing.

Machines did their job well - that's what they were there for, to do their job. People were not infallible, not like machines. They had weaknesses. But they also had strengths, and those strengths far surpassed what any machine could do. And what struck Pein as most important was that Akatsuki was a team. Machines didn't have teams. People did.

* * *

A little over an hour later, Itachi made his way back to his room. Training was important, but overusing his body was never good, and a rest was in order. He looked around as he entered headquarters, wondering what everyone else was doing. More specifically, what Pein was doing. With _his _photograph.

He paused at the end of the hallway down which his room lay. In front of his door stood two people whom he identified as Kisame and Blue, who must have returned recently. Kisame was holding something in his hand while he spoke vehemently to Blue, gesticulating heatedly. "I mean, I gave it to Leader-sama and he said he'd take care of it, but then I found it on Itachi-san's desk, and I was like, _what?_" he was saying, but he broke off abruptly upon spotting Itachi.

"I...Itachi-san," Kisame gasped, paling. He immediately tried to conceal the object behind his back. Blue gave him a withering look, snatched it from his grasp, and placed it wordlessly into Itachi's hands.

To Itachi, it felt as if there was a little runner inside his chest who had suddenly started madly sprinting laps. It was the picture of Sasuke, back in his grip! But it wasn't alone - it was now encompassed by an elegant wooden frame, with intricately carved patterns all along the sides. He ran one finger over the polished wood. It was warm and glossy - sort of like how he felt inside.

Blue watched Itachi carefully. Kisame's ramblings had been a little disjointed, but she had gotten the gist of the story, and had initially agreed with his diagnosis of Pein's condition: utterly insane. Taking an incriminating photo like this one and _framing _it? Was he _encouraging _Itachi to be unfaithful to Akatsuki by tempting him with glimpses from the past?

But now, as she observed Itachi, her opinion was changing. The look on his face was miraculous, not least because for once, there actually _was _a look. His eyes were the softest she'd ever seen them, and even the wrinkles, premature lines on his cheeks, seemed to have faded a bit. Now, the resemblance between him and the smiling boy in the picture was even more striking than before. He looked so...human.

Itachi flipped over the photograph. The smooth wooden surface continued on the back, just as perfect and unblemished as the front. He looked up to find Blue staring over his shoulder. She met his gaze curiously before returning to the frame, her eyes narrowing in something close to frustration, as if it were a code that she couldn't decipher. Finally, she stepped back. She looked at Itachi, and her lips twitched.

"Your little brother looks a lot like you, Itachi," she told him. Both Kisame and Itachi goggled, although Itachi's ogle was more remote, more dignified. Then a very faint touch of pink appeared by Itachi's cheekbones, and he replied, "Thank you, Blue-san."

Kisame's eyes were wide enough to allow for a golf ball to be neatly fitted into their sockets. "Did - did you just _blush_?!" he demanded of Itachi, gripping the doorknob for support. The door, not being firmly shut, swung open rapidly as he leaned against it, and he overbalanced and tumbled to the floor with a clatter. He remained there, sprawled on the carpet, looking as if he'd just stepped onto Mars.

Itachi spared him a quick glance before returning to the photo. Blue just walked away, chuckling quietly to herself and thinking, _Pein would have field day with Kisame's reaction. And Itachi's too, for that matter._

_Looks like Pein managed without me, _she thought, pleased, even though she had never doubted him. She felt strangely proud of him. _What he did for Itachi, that was just so...kind, so compassionate. Despite the crimes Pein commits and assigns others to commit, that heart of his lies behind it all. And somehow, he can see their hearts too - that's how he knows what they need. How he helps them. Maybe he _has _their hearts, carries them with him everywhere, keeps track of them just as carefully as he does everything else. _Blue became a trifle uneasy at that notion - did he have _her _heart? She didn't like the idea of being one of his playing pieces, just a pawn that belonged to him.

As she rounded the corner and distinguished that spiky bush of auburn hair and those hypnotic eyes, Blue found she was no longer uneasy.

_Our hearts are safe with him. _

* * *

A/N: I really struggled with finding the words to express the last few paragraphs, but I waded through them somehow and hopefully they're half-decent. And now I'm struggling with words again, just for this author's note :P I guess I'll just say a gargantuan thank-you to everyone who reviewed - I love everything you say about my story, and I will always try my best to personally reply to your reviews. After all, if you give your time to tell me what you think, the least I can do is use some of _my _time to let you know I appreciate it. Hope you liked Chapter 5, and please keep up all the reviewing! Thank you :) 


	6. Chapter 6: He Leads Them

I'm not sure what to think of this chapter, so you guys will have to let me know. I don't think it has a very good flow. And Blue might be OOC... I can never tell, and it's especially hard when I'm feeling OOC while writing the chapter, lol. So please review and give me your opinion!

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Chapter 6 - He Leads Them

_Scratch, scratch, sweep. Scratch, scratch, sweep. _The rhythm beat inside Blue's head even before she felt the morning light tickle her eyelids. The trio of sounds was covered for a moment by the rustling of the bed sheets as she sat up, then it resumed. A bit disoriented, Blue located the source of the noise - her enigmatic partner, standing in the corner in front of a canvas.

On the canvas, what was unmistakably a face was taking shape. With delicate, steady strokes, Pein caressed the material with his paintbrush, coaxing a picture out of it. He didn't pause or falter - it was just _scratch, scratch, sweep _over and over, like a drummer keeping time for a song. Underneath Pein's confident fingers appeared black hair, olive-coloured skin, and cunning hazel eyes. Although Blue was watching him closely, she couldn't comprehend how he could capture the oily look of the hair, the faint sunburn on both cheeks, the small pits in the skin, or the malicious twinkle of the irises.

It took her a moment to remember how to ask a question. "What are you doing, Pein?"

"Painting," Pein replied. Blue shot a glance at the clock and raised her eyebrows. _He got up at six in the morning to paint? Is he one of those eccentric artists who have random inspirations at weird times? _He was good, though, she had to admit that. It was hard to believe that it wasn't a real, live man smirking at her from the canvas, not just a painting.

"This is Minatoya Junsuke," Pein said, stepping back with one last elegant stroke and indicating the painting.

"You named him?" Blue said, humouring the Leader. This was probably just something he decided to do for leisure, to get away from the stress of the job.

"_I _didn't." Pein sounded amused. So quickly and gracefully that it looked like one simple movement, he swept his cloak over his shoulders and picked up the canvas. He glided out the door, calling over his shoulder, "Come to the common room. The others should be there already."

Blue fought back the urge to stick her tongue out at him childishly as he left. She hated it when Pein went all mysterious on her. He was holding back his explanation because he _knew _she wouldn't ask for one. He had better give her some good supporting reasons once they were all gathered in the common room.

When she arrived, everyone was debating whether or not they thought Pein had really painted the picture. "Come on, yeah," Deidara reasoned, "Leader-sama can't have painted that! I mean, why would he become a criminal when he could be the next Picasso?"

"Why don't you just ask Leader-sama?" Zetsu's white half asked. "_Trivial-minded fools," _his black side rumbled bad-naturedly.

"Yes, I painted the picture," Pein confirmed. Only Blue, and perhaps Itachi, detected his exasperation.

Tobi let out a gasp of admiration. "Is there anything you _can't _do, Leader-sama?"

_Yes - squish my desire to wring the necks of every single person in this room, including myself, _Pein thought, but he kept that to himself and stared them all down blandly until they were quiet. Then he turned to the canvas, which he'd pinned up on the wall, and introduced it exactly as he had to Blue. "This is Minatoya Junsuke."

He hurried on before they could say, "_Who?"_

"Minatoya is a successful actor, as well as the internationally famous head of a large business firm with whom we had a contract with. During our dealings, he discerned more of the way our organization works than is prudent for us. I had originally planned to leave him be in spite of that, but that is no longer an option. There is a group of shinobi that has been on our trail for a while now. They have made little headway, but they discovered that Minatoya may have worked with us, and are paying him a hefty sum for any information he can give them. I let him know what awaited him should he betray us, but apparently he has decided to disregard my threats and go ahead with this deal. He must be eliminated before he can communicate with the shinobi.

"They have arranged to meet today, in the marketplace, where the town festival is happening. The crowds and chaos will provide perfect cover for their transaction - at least that is their assumption. Your mission is to infiltrate the festival, find Minatoya, and kill him. Please try to attract as little attention as possible - murder him inconspicuously. Making it look like an accident would be preferable."

Pein stopped and looked at them expectantly. Or rather, at Blue. He was used to hearing objections and cross-examinations from her. But she just had a question. "Are we all going on this mission, together?"

"Everyone except Zetsu, who will stay back." It would be foolhardy to leave their headquarters completely unprotected, even for one morning. Granted, Pein had placed every single trap he knew around it, but "Just in case" was practically his motto. "It is more than likely that the shinobi who are investigating us will..._object..._to our disposal of Minatoya. Should that occur, it is good to be prepared with enough manpower to prevent their interference."

Zetsu accepted his position with a nod, although the black side of his face twisted, disgruntled at being left out of the fun. Pein looked at him apologetically. Zetsu, with his Venus flytrap headgear, was a bit too noticeable for a mission like this.

"All right," Pein continued briskly, "Hidan and Kakuzu, you two are in charge of the actual killing of Minatoya. Get close to him, and end it. The rest, look for the shinobi, and make sure nothing gets between Hidan and Kakuzu and their target." He scrutinized the room, piercing them all individually with his disconcerting gaze. Finally he said, "Is this understood?"

They answered as one. "Yes, Leader-sama."

Pein locked eyes with Blue before vanishing in a puff of smoke. The message he relayed to her was clearly identifiable as, _Make sure they succeed._

Akatsuki got up and filed out the door to go to their rooms and prepare disguises. Tobi and Deidara were the last to leave. Tobi shot a nervous, distrustful glance at the painting of Minatoya Junsuke on his way out and whispered, as if afraid the swarthy man would hear him through the canvas, "I don't like that man, Deidara-sempai. He looks _mean..._and clever."

Deidara bounced a ball of clay in his palm thoughtfully. "Maybe so, Tobi," he replied. "But he's got nothing on Leader-sama."

* * *

Blue shifted in her place among the throng. She _hated _this stupid disguise. She had never had to wear a dress for a mission before. It was purple and frilly - beyond mortifying. _Frilly, _she thought, disgusted. _How did a word like that even make its way into my vocabulary? _But she had to look like an average young woman, out enjoying the festival. Unfortunately, her face and body weren't average, and they were attracting looks from the people around her - most of them men. She had to curl her fingers into fists to keep herself from shoving a kunai down the throat of an impudent youth who was eyeing her breasts almost hungrily.

She swivelled her eyeballs from side to side, checking to see if all the others were in position. Hidan and Kakuzu were pretending to be waiting in line for a booth, while really watching Minatoya, who was lurking behind the same booth, probably waiting for the shinobi. The rest of the group were placed strategically throughout the crowd, ready to leap in if the shinobi should show themselves.

Blue's expression became frightening as yet another young man brushed against her, obviously on purpose. Couldn't these stupid perverts just leave her alone? Deidara, who stood beside her, dressed casually as well (but at least _he _didn't have to go through the torture of wearing a dress!), noticed her glare and smirked. "Remember, we can't blow our cover," he muttered, as if she needed to be reminded. "You'll have to pulverize those guys some other time."

At that moment, a brown-haired man sidled up to Deidara. He smiled winningly at the Akatsuki member, showing brilliantly white teeth, and asked coyly, "Hey, pretty, wanna go grab a drink with me?"

Deidara's face went white, then pink, and ended up at an unflattering magenta shade. "What - you think - I'm not -" he spluttered, shocked and infuriated beyond words.

"You're cute when you're flustered. Love those baby blues, sugar," the man said, smiling wider. Deidara lost it completely. "I AM NOT FEMALE, YEAH!!!" he hollered, causing every head in the marketplace to turn in his direction. He pulled out a kunai and brandished it wildly. The man jumped back, alarmed, and ran for it. Deidara followed, enraged into witlessness, screaming obscenities that would have put Hidan to shame.

The next few words that came out of Blue's mouth weren't so ladylike, either. Deidara had just blown their cover, and, by taking out a kunai, revealed to the shinobi meeting with Minatoya that there were other ninja here. _Oh well, _she thought, _now that Deidara's done it already..._she turned to the hopeful young man at her side. He wasn't worth pulverizing - no, that would be saved for someone else, someone responsible for _ruining their plan. _But she felt no qualms about slamming her fist into his nose and bringing her knee up to his groin, and proceeded to do so.

Once he was lying on the ground, bleeding and astounded, she turned and scowled when she saw that Deidara was surrounded by three burly men - they had to be the shinobi Pein had talked about. She shoved over to them and the battle got underway.

By now the entire marketplace was in chaos. Itachi and Kisame had noticed a group making their way to Minatoya and had stepped in to block them, and were engaged in a fight of their own. Tobi was assaulting a man (who actually wasn't one of the shinobi) with a stick of cotton candy, making himself useless as usual, and Hidan, deciding that no one was looking anymore, threw a kunai at Minatoya. It was knocked out of the way by one of the shinobi, and Hidan took him on, while two others attended to Kakuzu. Well, really, Kakuzu attended to _them._

Akatsuki was at an advantage. There were less of them, but they were stronger than the shinobi and were beating them with relative ease. The only problem was, Minatoya was making his escape while they were occupied. Immediately realizing what kind of danger he was in, he sprinted for a narrow alleyway that would lead him away from the marketplace. Hidan, noticing this, swore colourfully at his opponent, but couldn't get by just yet. "Go after him, Kakuzu!" he yelled. This was their only real chance to kill Minatoya, when everyone was in a panic and the murder would go unnoticed in the melee.

"What does it look like I'm doing, taking a walk in the park?" Kakuzu replied testily. He tried to leap over his adversary's head, but the enemy shinobi jumped back with him and almost sliced off his ankle. Kakuzu and Hidan, fiercely fending off blows, could only watch in frustration as Minatoya put more and more distance between them and him.

Minatoya was about to turn down an alley when a strange figure stepped out of it. It was male, but it wore a sweater with the hood up and they couldn't see its face or hair. They thought they caught a glint of sun reflecting off violet-tinted sunglasses, though. The newcomer touched Minatoya on the arm, and the businessman turned to him with a start. They appeared to exchange a few words, and then the stranger took a piece of paper and pen from his pocket. Minatoya scrawled something on it and returned it.

It was then that Hidan, Kakuzu and Blue disentangled themselves from their battles, and they all hurled kunai at the same target. Minatoya crumpled to the ground, impaled by three blades. His blood pooled on the pavement underneath him. He was dead - no one could survive three direct hits. Mission accomplished.

Blue landed lightly at the dead man's side and looked around. The stranger who had had such providential timing was nowhere to be seen. _Who was he? _she wondered. _And what did he say to Minatoya? _She pulled the kunai out of Minatoya's body, removing the evidence.

"Who was that guy?" Hidan asked, arriving beside her. She didn't answer.

"Whoever he was, we have him to thank for the success of our mission," Kakuzu said gruffly.

Blue turned. That reminded her of someone else she needed to "thank"...

* * *

A half-hour later, Akatsuki trooped back into headquarters. Deidara was shuffling along with a curious limping gait, and he was careful to stay at the very back of the line, the furthest place from the front, where Blue walked with a satisfied look on her face. Partly because justice had been dealt, but mostly because she would finally be able to get out of that stupid dress.

They were greeted by Pein on the way in, and congratulated on their triumph. Blue didn't wait for him to head to their room and tear the dress off (treating it as badly as she possibly could). She then lay back comfortably on her bed to wonder about that stranger. She didn't know why, but for some reason she thought Pein might be able to guess who it was. So when he opened the door and entered, she stood up to ask him.

As he pulled his cloak off the back of his chair and draped it over himself, something white fluttered out of one of the pockets. He bent down quickly to pick it up, but Blue was faster. Her foot slammed down on it, defying him. Pein straightened with an oddly resigned look in his eyes.

Watching her partner suspiciously, Blue stooped and lifted the white object. It was a folded piece of paper. She opened it, and inside it read:

_For Pein,  
__from Minatoya J. _

And underneath that was the curly scrawl of Minatoya's Junsuke's signature.

Everything clicked together. Blue stared accusingly at Pein. Her eyes fell on his desk, on top of which lay a pair of violet sunglasses. She didn't say anything for a while, just handed back the piece of paper and seated herself on her bed again.

_So it was him! _Blue thought, fuming and not sure why. _He was that stupid stranger! That's why the timing was so lucky for us - because he knew what we wanted, and helped us out. But still, the nerve of him - ! _But as she ranted, her anger faded. After all, without him, they might not have been able to kill Minatoya, and that would have put Akatsuki in jeopardy. As usual, he was just doing what was best for them. _And he lets us think we do it all, even when it's him that brings it all together. That's the magic of Pein's leadership - he doesn't try to run the show with an iron fist. He sets us up and lets us do our thing, and steps in to nudge us in the right direction when we get off course. He leads us from the back just as well as from the front. And even, sometimes - from the middle...? _

"Pein..." she began, at a loss.

"Yes?"

"Why did you come? How did you know we'd need you?" she asked, feeling hopelessly inferior for the first time in her life. Pein was so much further down the road than she was. And it wasn't that his road had been easier or straighter. His car was just a lot faster, and he was better at conserving gas. When she hit the brake, he sped up. But somehow, he crashed less often. Or at least his car bore few outward marks of damage.

"What are you talking about?" Pein said, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. His tone, face and eyes oozed fresh innocence. "I just wanted an autograph."

* * *

I just read it over, and I've reassured myself that it's at least somewhat coherent, but I can't say much past that. Thanks for reading, and please review:) 


	7. Chapter 7: He Needs Them

Here's chapter 7. It's kind of odd - written in a different format from the others, at the beginning anyway, at least that's how it seems to me. I've discovered something through writing this story - I'm a really inconsistent writer, lol. I can never quite stay in one style, in one genre, in one plotline. There's always deviation, in the quality and quantity of chapters too. Oh well, hopefully you'll like it anyway. And hopefully, you'll review! Pleeeeease?

* * *

Chapter 7 - He Needs Them

Blue looked back on the morning, and realized that there had been something _off _about the whole day. Many things, actually. As if God had taken a vacation and an inexperienced apprentice was substituting, not paying proper attention and misplacing everything by just a few inches. But when you added all those inches together, you started to get into miles, and the difference was impossible not to notice. Not that Blue was religious.

It could be the absence of the usual rowdiness. It _was _very quiet around headquarters now that all of Akatsuki, except for herself and Pein, were away on a mission. But silence and tranquillity never bothered Blue, so it had to be something else. She knew for a fact that her own daily routine hadn't really been altered. Same old, same old, today as much as ever. But Blue didn't think of that in a negative sense. She hated surprises, and custom was a friend, a safe harbour.

So, if her habits weren't the cause of the change, then it had to be Pein. Which was essentially the same thing, since Pein _was_ her routine. When Pein was out of sync, he threw everything else off balance too. His complete involvement in Akatsuki was what held them together, but at times like this it was an annoying, disconcerting feeling, like everything she felt was just a spinoff of his emotions. When a rock fell into Pein's pool, the waves it made rippled outward to splash everyone who was connected to him. And Blue, being the closest, got soaked.

_What's wrong with you, Pein? _she wondered, watching him intently. But she found no answers in the reddish-brown mass of hair exploding from his head, or the thin line of his lips, or even in the dizzying circles of his eyes. She frowned as she thought back to all of the little quirks that had taken the day so far off its usual course.

* * *

Breakfast had gotten off to a late start. She and Pein lounged around, fully clothed, in their room for at least twenty minutes past the habitual hour of the morning meal. Finally Blue, her patience wearing, proposed, "Pein, don't you think it's time we went to -" But Pein interrupted her, an expectant gleam in his eye. He raised his hand for silence and said, "Wait for it, Blue..."

She fell silent and waited, but neither heard nor saw anything. Finally Pein dropped his hand, shoulders sagging as if he'd just remembered something that displeased him. He sounded slightly disheartened as he said, "Never mind."

He led her to breakfast then, but he seemed to pause, so briefly she might have imagined it, in front of all the doors on their way down. The only time she was sure she couldn't have imagined it was when he actually raised his fist at Tobi and Deidara's door, as if to knock. Blue wanted to ask him if he was all right, but that was such a generic question, it hardly seemed adequate. It was so easy to lie about your reply when asked a question like that. So she shut her mouth tightly and opened her eyes and ears as wide as they would go.

They had cereal for breakfast, because their chef was gone on a mission, as was everyone else. Pein ate his Rice Krispies robotically, as if chewing and swallowing were commands programmed onto his hard drive, not conscious orders issued by his brain. _Is he stoned? _Blue wondered in consternation. But Pein had always been drug-free. And he didn't seem to be on a high. Definitely not - more of a low.

Blue didn't notice that she was eating her own flakes just as mechanically as he was, so intent in her scrutiny was she. And if she'd been following the direction of his eyes, she would have seen that they were roving up and down the table, taking stock of all the empty places.

When he'd finished, Pein put his bowl aside and picked up the newspaper. Blue couldn't stop herself from gawking openly for a second. She didn't know how Pein obtained his knowledge of current events, as he seemed extremely well-informed, but it wasn't from the newspaper. He _never _read the newspaper. Itachi did that, and probably only because it gave him an excuse not to join in the conversation.

"Why are you reading the paper?" she asked cautiously. What she meant was, _Are you insane? _"It's last week's."

He glanced up at her, then returned to the news. "It's still perfectly legible."

Blue pursed her lips. If he wanted to be stubborn about it and pretend to misunderstand what she was asking, then _fine - _she wouldn't waste her time being concernedShe dumped her dirty bowl and spoon in the sink, then exited the kitchen, shutting the door a little louder than was perhaps necessary.

Pein sighed. He didn't want to antagonize Blue, especially not today, when there was no one else to distract him from her. He crumpled up the newspaper and tossed it blindly over his shoulder. It landed perfectly in the garbage can, as expected. Then he remembered that it was recyclable.

* * *

When Blue reached their outdoor training area, Pein was waiting for her. She had to give it to him, his speed was superb. So was everything else about him, though. 

"Do you want to spar?" he asked her. Blue raised her eyebrows. She _shouldn't _be surprised at his offer; they were partners, and they often trained together. But every time, she was. Maybe it was because his skills were so far superior to her own - she couldn't imagine him learning anything or gaining strength from fighting her. But he seemed to like pitting himself against her anyway, and she was always eager to see his talents in action.

In answer, Blue slid into a ready position. Pein didn't, but he threw a kunai at her, signalling the start of the battle. As she dodged it, she wondered what Pein's face would look like if the kunai actually hit her. Maybe she should let it, just to find out. No, that was a Deidara or Kisame way of thinking. Some people prized entertainment above everything else; Blue was not one of them.

Neither was Pein. He didn't play with her - he got right on her track, and even though he was only using taijutsu at the moment, she was hard-put to avoid his attacks. He was practically close enough to touch now, and she had to do something to widen the distance between them. So she spun to face him for just long enough to perform her Death Spiral of Wind jutsu. It sent hurricane-calibre gusts of wind in his direction, blasts of air strong enough to slice through skin like a scythe. And if you were caught in the middle...well, what was left of you would litter the ground within a hundred-metre radius.

The deadly winds cleared, and Pein was nowhere in sight, as Blue had expected. A jutsu like that was child's play for him. Her peripheral vision caught a figure emerging stealthily from the trees, and she whirled to face her partner, bringing her arms up for an instant defence. Then her hands dropped to her sides, and she stared at his face.

Along his right cheek, there was one scratch, about the length of her pinkie finger. Blood trickled gradually from the cut, staining Pein's cheek a dark crimson. He seemed to ignore it completely, watching her carefully, preparing for the next move. Always the calm, calculating shinobi, that was Pein. Blue supposed that was how she should be, too, but she was just too astonished.

In all her years of Akatsuki, she had _never _been able to touch Pein with any of her attacks. He was too experienced, too quick on his feet, to allow injury. And yet, here he was, not two minutes after the beginning of the battle, actually _bleeding! _Was this an illusion? A trick, meant to take her mind off the fight? If it was, it was working.

But it didn't seem to be, especially since Pein said, sounding concerned, "Blue...?"

The blood was now dripping slowly down his neck. When the first drop touched his collar, she snapped. This was just too strange. "What's _wrong _with you, Pein?" she demanded, angry in her confusion.

Pein's eyes narrowed slightly at her aggression. "What do you mean, 'wrong'?" he asked, his voice muted.

"Don't give me that bland crap, Pein!" Blue half-shouted at him. It had been a long time since she'd really gotten _mad _at him - there was something about Pein that forestalled fury of any kind. A strange charisma that threw you too far off balance to find your emotions. Yelling at him now gave her an odd, twisted sense of satisfaction. "This morning you acted like a total weirdo! You _read the newspaper! _And now I actually managed to hurt you! That's never happened before. That shouldn't ever happen, not with the difference in skill. So tell me, what the hell is wrong with you??"

_So much for not antagonizing her, _Pein thought wryly. But the truth was, he didn't know why he felt so strange and disconnected. It was as if he wasn't all there. A part of him was missing. And everywhere he looked, he caught just the tiniest of glimpses of that part. But when he turned to stare, it was gone, and he felt just as empty as before. How could he explain something like that to Blue? She wasn't that kind of girl - she was all for clear-cut reasons, for intensity, for fact, not theory. In a way, she was very ill-suited to be his partner. In another way, though, she was his perfect match; in a non-clear-cut way, just one of the many things he would never be able to express.

"Blue, I -" he started, knowing he wouldn't live up to the challenge in her accusing eyes. Then he felt it - seven Chakra signatures, excluding his own and Blue's. Pein suddenly knew what part of him was missing. What _seven _parts, to be specific. And soon, he would be whole again. He turned his head in the direction he sensed the Chakra was coming from and inhaled deeply.

To Blue, who was clenching her fists and waiting impatiently for the words she knew wouldn't help, the change was instantaneous and drastic. A moment ago, Pein had resembled a child caught shirking his duties, trying to come up with a plausible excuse and fearing punishment. Now his face looked into the light, so much softer and younger. It was as if he'd seen a vision of the future, a vision so perfect and beautiful that he could no longer harbour doubts about anything.

How much easier her life would be if she could just read Pein's mind.

Pein, still looking miraculously happy without actually displaying any outright pleasure, reached up and felt carefully around the scrape on his cheek. When his hand came down sticky with blood, he didn't even grimace. He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped it all off, until there was only a thin pink line where Blue's winds had made their mark. Then his gaze locked on hers, and his eyes were like a warm, crackling fire. He raised his arm, reaching out as if to take her hand, but then he let it fall and said, "Follow me, Blue."

She did so, soaring through the trees so fast that the foliage became a blur of varying shades of green and brown. The sunlight danced by, performing a feisty tango with the surrounding forest. Pein's back was her guide, his upper body moving smoothly, coordinating itself with his bending and straightening legs to carry him forward at maximum speed. The breeze whipped her skin, stripping away some of her anger. But she still didn't know what was going on, and this disturbed her.

Then they broke free of the woods, and she recognized the seven figures making their steady, bickering way towards headquarters. The blond ponytail was impossible to mistake, as were the Venus flytrap, the orange spiralling mask, the blue skin, the sleek black hair and the grey toque and glowing green eyes. Oh, and the loud swearing. Blue felt her displeasure lift in spite of herself. It would be good to have some excitement and vulgarity around again.

She thought Pein must feel the same. He paced casually towards his subordinates, but only because it would be undignified for him to sprint. Blue could almost taste his unbridled joy and relief. Wait, _relief_? Why would he be relieved? Blue recalled his peculiar behaviour all day. Was all that bizarreness just stress, worry and restlessness caused by not having them around?

The idea that a man as ridiculously strong as Pein could be so weakened by pining for his underlings was ludicrous, but Blue didn't laugh. She realized that she was only seeing a shadow of his true devotion to Akatsuki and all of the beings involved in it, and she could do nothing but admire and respect him for it. Even if it did make for a strange, inconsistent partnership.

"Were you successful?" Pein asked, after taking the time to greet all of his followers. Blue knew he was asking about more than just the mission. He _cared_ about more than just the mission.

"Completely, yeah," Deidara said proudly, tossing his head in a distinctly feminine manner. Blue thought she heard Kisame mutter, "He even _acts _like a girl."

"We have so much to tell you, Leader-sama!" Tobi cried, his enthusiasm as boundless as ever.

"Hell, yeah," Hidan agreed, rolling his eyes. "Like the time we had to double back and search for an hour after Tobi decided to help an old lady across the street and got left behind."

Blue soon tuned out their constant jabbering, but Pein listened attentively the whole time. _He wants to hear it all, _Blue noted. _It's not a pretense. He's really interested in what they have to say. Tobi, Deidara, Hidan, Kakuzu, Itachi, Kisame, Zetsu - they'll never know how much power they have over him, the most skilled, ruthless shinobi there is. _Blue paused. Did _she _have power over him too? She doubted that she had more power over him than he had over her. But that didn't really matter. He was content to have her by his side, and she was content to remain there.

_He needs them. They're his reassurance, his promise to himself. He brought them into his world, and that's where he likes them to be. But when he created this little world of Akatsuki, did he know? _

_Did he know that they would _become _it? _

* * *

This chapter actually turned out better than I expected. I thought it would just be a meaningless drabble and almost gave it up, but I persevered and I don't regret it. I do apologize profusely for any Blue OOCness in this chapter, though, as I'm sure there was a great deal of it. Did anyone see what I was getting at with the breakfast thing, where Pein said to "wait for it"? I might not have made it clear enough... Also, I feel like my paragraphing is slightly off. For some reason, when I read it over, it seems to stop in the wrong places sometimes. Does anyone else notice this, and have tips on how to get rid of it?

**Important Note:** I'm sorry to say that this fic is nearing its end. I'm sure no one is more disappointed than me to hear this, since I've really enjoyed going this far with such a half-baked idea, but I think that I've mostly achieved my purpose and illustrated the concepts I wanted to show my readers, and I must say you guys have responded fantastically! I can't thank you enough for all of the support. Next chapter will likely be the last one, and I'll try to make it good. If any of you have suggestions for more chapters, however, I would love to hear them, and rest assured that I will definitely consider them. Thank you, thank you! And please review!


	8. Chapter 8: He Loves Them

**The last chapter is here!!** It is dedicated to the people who read/reviewed this story, the communities this story was added to, and anyone else who in any way contributed to the making of this tale (namely Masashi Kishimoto, who created these wonderful characters in their wonderful world with all of their wonderful quirks).

Yeah, I chose the corny title...come on, let me have my satisfaction! Besides, the story couldn't be complete without _this _one - it's what all of the previous chapters were leading up to. Anyway, enjoy this to the best of your abilities - I know I did while writing it.

* * *

Chapter 8 - He Loves Them

"I'm going to bed," Hidan said, standing abruptly.

"This is ridiculous, yeah," Deidara agreed. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Seven minutes past three AM," Itachi voiced tonelessly. His partner Kisame searched him over for a watch but found none, and looked nonplussed.

"Hell, this is just stupid. Why don't we all go to sleep?" Hidan asked.

"An excellent idea," Blue supported him.

"_You _aren't moving," Kisame pointed out.

Blue eyeballed him, her gaze dangerous. Her temper was fraying, thanks to a combination of weariness, stress and a naturally peppery disposition. "Want to make something of it?" she challenged. Kisame edged over as far as he could on the couch without bumping Itachi. No sense in tempting Fate.

"Anyone else coming, yeah?" Deidara inquired, now waiting at the door. "First ones back to their rooms get to take showers, yeah!"

No one even twitched. Itachi sat stiffly on the sofa, completely ignoring all activity around him, with Kisame fidgeting next to him. Hidan had seated himself again in a red armchair (the one that Deidara had just vacated), and looked too lazy to get up. Kakuzu, perching rigidly on a stool they'd brought in from the kitchen, merely looked irritable. He was probably still agonizing over the business deal he'd let slip through his fingers that afternoon. Tobi's soft but persistent snoring, from his spot on the carpet, wasn't helping his nerves settle either. Zetsu was carrying on a quiet conversation with his two personalities, and seemed content to stand. Blue was easily and gracefully balancing herself on the windowsill, and stared intently out into the night. If it had been anyone else, the seating location would have been unseemly, but Blue somehow kept her dignity intact.

They all knew what, or rather who, she was watching for, but none of them mentioned it - it would only worsen her already black mood. She looked utterly absorbed and distracted, but appearances were misleading, as Deidara found out when he approached the only remaining available seat in the room. It was hard-backed, but had a red cushion to provide more comfortable accommodation for backsides. The wood was a deep, elegant mahogany.

Immediately, Blue's head snapped in his direction, and her eyes narrowed as they flickered from the chair to the offending Deidara. The self-proclaimed artist backed away. He would have put up a fight if it were someone else, but not _her. _Especially after what had happened last time he had displeased her.

"I get it, yeah, I get it," he intoned hastily, raising his hands in placation. "That's Leader-sama's seat. No touchy, yeah."

Her glare was relentless, and he could feel dampness slowly seeping into the sides of his shoes. For some reason, his feet were always the first part of him to sweat under pressure. "He - he stole my seat, yeah!" Deidara blurted, pointing accusingly at Hidan, who opened one eye indifferently.

The glacial fire in Blue's face faded, to Deidara's everlasting relief, and she replied scathingly, "Sit on his lap, then." She turned away, no longer interested in further debate.

"Don't even think about it, bombshell boy," Hidan growled. Deidara cringed, although more because of the mental images Blue's suggestion conjured up than Hidan's threat. With a scowl, he plopped down into a cross-legged position on the floor, demanding cantankerously, "Will someone remind me what we're doing wasting our valuable hours of rest, yeah?"

"Er, pulling an all-nighter?" Kisame offered. "Those can be fun. They're better with s'mores, though..."

"Do we look like we're having _fun_?" Kakuzu sneered, before slumping back into his gloomy reverie of the financial opportunities he'd missed out on.

Zetsu's black half chuckled darkly, for no apparent reason. Perhaps he was remembering some past "fun". All of the occupants of the room shuddered collectively at the implications of this thought.

Itachi, unexpectedly, provided an opinion. "Waiting for tomorrow." Everyone considered this and tried to figure out if it actually meant something, or if it was just some kind of weird Uchiha philosophy. Finally Hidan shrugged and asked, "Anyone got anything better?"

Tobi, who had woken just recently, lifted his masked head a few inches from the floor and said sleepily, "We're staying up until Leader-sama gets back. He starts the day, so it should end with him too."

Kisame started to laugh, an automatic reflex, then broke off. "Wait a sec...did Tobi just...?"

"Holy _crap,_" Hidan said, jerking upright in his chair.

Deidara shook his head frantically, as if by denying it fervently enough he could erase it from ever having happened. "No way, yeah!"

Everybody gaped, slack-jawed, at Tobi, who looked around dozily and smiled brightly at them. The impossible had come to pass. Pigs could now fly. Was the world about to end? They waited with bated breath for an earthquake, a burst of divine light, something to commemorate this most momentous of all momentous moments.

Nothing happened. Except that the silence became almost painful, wearing down on the ears of the rapt listeners.

Eventually, Hidan broke the uncomfortable stillness with, "Who else votes to pretend that Tobi did not just say something that may or not be, believe it or not, the truth?"

"Me, yeah," Deidara said without hesitation, looking freaked out. Kisame, Kakuzu and Zetsu echoed the sentiment soon after. Even Itachi blankly raised his hand in affirmative. Hidan was relieved. "That's a majority," he said. "That comment was never spoken, right?" If Tobi was suddenly found to be capable of logical thought and _intelligence_, they would have to initiate him into Akatsuki all over again. It would be like accepting an all-new member. It was so much simpler just to act like it never occurred.

The only person who didn't vote yes was the sole female agent of the organization. Tobi's words were the bare truth, without needing to be whittled down. She recognized that, and wasn't about to give up a rare snatch of enlightenment so quickly.

Pein was the sun of Akatsuki. He rose every morning, and they rose with him. He was their dawn, just as he would be their dusk. Blue felt the burden of worries she hadn't known she'd been bearing lighten by a few hundred pounds. It had all begun with him, and it would end with him, when the sun set into a bright red moon. There was nothing to fear.

Because they weren't even close to midday yet.

* * *

Pein was hurrying, pushing his body harder than was perhaps wise. He could take it, and the speed was unmatchable, but his legs wouldn't thank him for it tomorrow. He wished he would stop thinking ahead, but he was made that way. For once, it would be nice to ignore the consequences. Even nicer not to _have _consequences.

But he was Leader. That meant he was the responsible one.

At the moment, he gave himself permission to forget about tomorrow. For now, he would concentrate on getting back to headquarters as quickly as possible. He had been badly delayed by a particularly wily target. Of course, even smoke couldn't slip through Pein's experienced fingers when he was determined to catch it, but this one had been annoyingly elusive.

Blue wouldn't be happy.

She always held that he should be perfectly punctual. She didn't insist on this with any of her other comrades, but with him it was a necessity. _Unfair. _But she did have a right to expect more from him than from the others. And now he was bordering on five hours late. _Sorry._

"Sorry" was something he never said to Blue, at least not out loud. But he would look at her, and no matter what came out of his mouth, she would know what he meant. And her reply notwithstanding, he would know she forgave him. This time it would be no different, or at least he thought so. After all, Blue did like routine.

It would be good to get back. He wondered who would still be alive to witness his return. He had only been gone for a day, but when you had two people like Deidara and Hidan in the same building, their patience already tested by the infuriating antics of an orange-masked "good boy", without a competent mediator (also known as someone strong enough to beat all three of them to a pulp), disaster was inevitable. But he trusted Blue to keep them out of trouble. Or out of catastrophe anyway, since anything more was wishful thinking.

As he rounded the last ridge and soared above the trees, Pein smiled, a rare moment in the life of a usually solemn young man. It was easier to smile when no one was watching. Easier to smile, too, when you were watching something that meant everything to you, appearing in front of your world-weary eyes.

The night's darkness couldn't hide Akatsuki headquarters from its founder. To him, it was like the lighthouse on the edge of a rocky, treacherous cliff. It was the single ray of light peeping through the clouds. It was the glint of a ring against his dull skin.

To put it simply, it was home.

* * *

They all watched Blue. She was the closest thing to Leader-sama they had right now, and they secretly hoped for orders, something they could obey and not think about. Even Hidan was finding that being bossed around was preferable to some things, like slouching in a chair, too alert to fall asleep and too lazy to get up and perform a ritual. He tried to bug Kakuzu, but his multi-hearted partner was proving difficult to bait tonight. He considered bugging Blue...but he wasn't _that _desperate. Yet.

Hidan had just about decided to make a sexist comment (having found that these triggered irritation in even the most placid of kunoichi), when a thin, long-fingered hand blocked his mouth. It didn't actually touch his lips, but its presence, a few centimetres away from his face, was sufficient to make him swallow his sentence, out of surprise if nothing else. His eyes followed the hand up the arm it was connected to, and then stayed riveted on the well-known young face and its serious, ringed gaze. It told him silently now, _Trust me, you don't want that kind of pain._

Hidan muttered something about never being allowed to have any fun as Pein moved away from him. "Leader-sama, yeah!" Deidara exclaimed. "Finally," Kakuzu said under his breath.

"Welcome home, Leader-sama," Tobi said cheerily, though too tired to jump up and blunder towards him with arms outstretched for a hug, for which Pein was thankful.

Blue got up and walked over to Pein. For a moment he though she was going to slap him, and her hand certainly twitched in a way that indicated she was inclined in that direction. But she kept her cool and said flatly, "We can all go to bed now."

"Excellent!" said Kisame eagerly.

"Amen to that," Hidan added.

Zetsu let out a low, rumbling laugh that reverberated throughout the room and sent shivers up even Pein's spine. "It appears that we stayed up all night waiting for Leader-sama, only to succumb to sleep upon his arrival," his white side said, highly amused. His dark half muttered something that sounded like, "_I'm hungry..._"

"Crap, he's right," Hidan voiced what they were all thinking, disgusted. "We're all freaking _idiots._"

As they ruminated on this disturbing discovery and Pein determinedly fought back a laugh (and won, as always), Tobi yawned hugely and curled up on the floor, giving himself up to peaceful slumber. Deidara imitated him, saying, "For once, I'm going to follow Tobi's lead, yeah. I'm way too zonked to move, yeah."

No one else could even summon the energy to agree, but it was clear that they did from the way they settled themselves into their respective locations and shut their heavy eyes.

"Don't fall asleep yet," Pein said abruptly. He nodded toward the window. "Dawn is breaking."

And it was. But it seemed odd to call it "breaking" - it looked more like the world was piecing itself back together from the ruin of yesterday, in slices of pink, red, orange, yellow and white. And up through the construction rose a brilliant ribbon of blinding gold, the essence of a brand new day, only to be torn apart all over again.

Pein almost sighed. Of his subordinates, only Blue and Itachi had even glanced at the sunrise, and they didn't seem to absorb its warmth and novelty like he did. But he straightened as he drew the curtains closed, shutting out the brightness. After all, the sun would rise again tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that. As long as he watched the sky and wanted it, the dawn would come and go in its fleeting beauty. And looking around, he realized that he wanted all this for a while yet. Akatsuki still had a road to pursue, and he would lead the way, avoiding obstacles as much as possible, leaping over the ones he couldn't, and climbing the winding, forever uphill path.

He left the room and returned with a pile of blankets and pillows. He dumped most of them on his sleeping followers, and arranged the rest on the floor tiles to act as makeshift beds for himself and Blue. She thanked him quietly and lay down, not seeming to find any more appeal in the thought of sleeping in their room tonight than he did.

Pein crossed over to the door, where the light switch was located. There he paused, and let his gaze drift over the sight before him. He knew his members too well to allow himself to be fooled, but Tobi looked positively angelic as he rested there tranquilly, dreaming happily, and even Hidan and Deidara appeared misleadingly serene. The wrinkles on Itachi's worn face were smoothed out, and in him Pein saw with some sadness the child a mother had once loved. Kisame seemed to be envisioning something which gave him pleasure, judging from his wolfish grin. Only the closed eyes of Kakuzu were visible from his resting position, but they looked less harsh and condemning than usual. Zetsu slept just as expressionlessly as he did everything else.

None of them looked remotely like killers. And yet, they were seven of the greatest sinners on this Earth. Wasn't life sad that way? And wonderful, too? Funny how people could hate them for who they were and what they did, and he could love them for the same reasons.

Pein flicked the light off and settled back down on the floor. His body brushed Blue's through the blankets as he crawled in next to her, and he saw her face reflecting back at him. He knew she had been awake the whole time, watching him and making what she could out of his actions and expressions.

Her eyes, dark and mysterious as always, questioned his intentions as she stared at him. _What am I to you? _they asked. _What are they to you? What is _Akatsuki _to you?_

He automatically reached up to touch his facial piercings, but Blue's hand restrained his own gently. There was no reason to be self-conscious about this question - not when it had been in need of an answer for so long.

Pein's lips turned downwards a little, then up further than Blue had ever seen them go. He permitted his fingers to interlace with hers. He didn't reply to her inquiry out loud, for fear of disturbing the still slumber of the warm bodies clustered around them, but his mouth moved soundlessly. Even in the dark, Blue could identify the word it formed.

_Family._

**- The End - **_

* * *

_

Well, that is the all-powerful End, the three-letter word that no writer or reader can stand up to. Once again, a thank-you the size of the continent of North America goes out to everyone who helped make this story what it is - readers, reviewers, I thank you all, from the very darkest depths of my heart, where the light never shines; except at rare moments like these, of course. If this story meant even a quarter as much to you as it meant to me, that's enough to give me a smile. :)

If you want, check out my profile and try some of my other stories. If you don't want to, then I won't begrudge you it - I am an amateur, after all. :P Thanks to everyone for everything!


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